The Mazariyya Books Ltd., a publishing outfit based in Abuja and Cyprian Ekwensi Foundation have signed a contract agreement for the posthumous publication titled “In My Time” an autobiography of the late Nigerian iconic writer, Chief Cyprian Ekwensi.
The Mazariyya Books Ltd., chaired by Mr Ahmed Maiwada and the Chairman of Cyprian Ekwensi Foundation, Chiedu Ekwensi signed the publishing agreement in Abuja.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the partnership aims to reissue the book for the benefit of readers who loved Ekwensi’s works but never read his first novella.
The partnership is also aimed at publishing the writer’s posthumous book ‘In My Time’ edited by Prof. Ernest Emenyonu, Nigerian academic, who is an African literature critic and professor.
The Mazariyya Books Ltd., Abuja, chaired by its chairman, Ahmed Maiwada, a lawyer and publisher writer will publish the book in February 2026.
The two organisations said they also agreed to publish late Ekwensi’s first published fiction ‘When Love Whispers’ posthumously which was published in 1948.
‘When Love Whispers’ was Ekwensi’s first published work of fiction and had been out of print for decades.
‘When Love Whispers’ a romantic novella, delved into the complexities of love, betrayal, and societal expectations.
The story is set against the backdrop of Nigerian society and highlights the challenges of maintaining relationships amidst external pressures.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Maiwada said partnering with the giant Nigerian writer through his first living son Mr Chiedu Ekwensi was a great pleasure in signing the two agreements.
Maiwada assured that the two books ‘When Love Whispers’ and ‘In My Time’ would be published by Mazariyya books.
According to him, it is a very big honour to publish the work of an icon that was born in Minna, Niger State, adding that such histories are going to grow together to something unique.
“We are not going to joke about it, rather we will do our very best to see that these works actually get to any interested reader and we will fight tooth and nail to ensure these works are void of piracy.
“We understand that late Ekwensi’s works are out there, there may not even be any track record of how they got into the printed versions of what we are seeing in the bookshops.
“But the assurance we are giving is that possibly, after seeing what we might have done with these two titles, we might give some more consideration to see that a bit of sanity is actually brought into other works that are not within our own consideration.
“You know writers in Nigeria in particular will begin to have the confidence that even after their death their works will still remain and make meaning,” he said.
The chairman, who said that Ekwensi’s work was recognised for the benefits to humanity, said, “it was not all commerce today, but we are certain that when we start these two works, we believe it would be a memorable journey.
“I always like to remind the government of the day that producing books in Nigeria is expensive because it takes a lot of money.
“We want the government to take all the necessary policy steps to ensure that printing and printing materials are affordable and less expensive, so that these books that we are taking out can be affordable.
“Nigerians are good readers, for that reason we are going to take out books that are affordable because they want to read.
“The motto that we have, we as a publishing company in Nigeria, is telling the Nigerian story. I believe that if you want people to love you, they have to know who you are.
“By the time we tell our own story and people get to know and understand us, we will be more accommodated in the world all over especially among the Nigerian diaspora,” he added.
Maiwada appreciated the late literary icon’s son for his trust, as well as Prof. Emenyonu for his position in the Nigerian diaspora literary circle and for his huge input, particularly concerning Ekwensi’s autobiography.
Also speaking, the Ekwensi Foundation’s chairman said witnessing the two contracts executed with Mazariyya Books Ltd. was a good development as one of the books remained an autobiography of an African writer, Ekwensi.
According to him, autobiography is actually a journey of a young man, his early life, early education, and so on. So, when people read this book, they will come to understand that a man is made.
“It is not just writing, but we know and understand what really transpired and how this whole thing came about.
He thanked the publisher for such opportunity and prayed that the aim of these contracts should be achieved.
Mr Patrick Oguejiofor, former Chairman, Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA), said, “living to see the contract of Ekwensi’s autobiography, a great icon, to be published posthumously, shows that the spirit of the Prince is here.
“I have been following his childhood from ‘An African Night’s Entertainment’ to ‘Juju Rock’, ‘The Rainmaker and Other Stories, ‘Samankwe and the highway robbers’, ‘The Drummer Boy’, ‘Iska’ among others.
“So, today is special because I strongly believe that writers do not die, because great writers never died and their works lived years after them,” Oguejiofor, who is also a poet and writer, said.
The former ANA chairman described Nigerians as good readers, stressing the need to make the books accessible to them.
(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
